A global logistics provider has leased space in Liberty County’s Tradeport East Business Center to establish a Southeast distribution center for Hankook Tire.

Korean-owned Pactra International Co. Ltd. has leased a 500,000-square-foot Silver LEED-certified building owned by IDI and DCT Industrial Trust with plans to open for full operations on Jan. 1, the Liberty County Development Authority has announced.

The new distribution facility will join Hankook’s major existing American distribution centers in California, Texas, Illinois and New Jersey and will service 10 states in the Southeast market.

Pactra’s chief operating officer, Jason Yoon, said the logistics company conducted site selection searches within Tennessee, Georgia and Florida on behalf of the tire manufacturer.

“Hankook wanted to increase its market share in the Southeast, and we felt Georgia’s central location among the southeastern states offered a strategic advantage,” Yoon said.

Proximity to the Port of Savannah figured heavily in the decision to locate in Tradeport East, he said.

“Tradeport East’s location within one mile of Interstate 95 also is a very attractive feature.”

Hankook Tire America Corp., a subsidiary of Hankook Tire Co. Ltd., markets and distributes high performance and ultra-high performance passenger tires, light truck tires and SUV tires as well as medium truck and bus tires to more than 400 independent dealers through more than 10,000 retail sales locations in the United States and Canada.

The Liberty County distribution center will stock approximately 600,000 tires brought in through the port, Yoon said.

The global tire company’s arrival enhances foreign-direct investment in Liberty County, where 70 percent of existing industry employment is tied to companies headquartered overseas, said Ron Tolley, development authority CEO.

“We are pleased that Pactra has selected Liberty County for its distribution center, and we welcome them to our growing industrial base,” Tolley said. “This project emphasizes the value of our proximity to the Port of Savannah, Liberty County Development Authority’s investment in Tradeport East and the attractiveness of the Liberty County labor force.”

Pactra plans to open Jan. 1 with 30 employees and expand to 50 within three months.

BREAKOUT

Potential job seekers who may be interested in applying to Hankook are encouraged to contact the Georgia Department of Labor at www.dol.state.ga.us/‎for more information.

ABOUT PACTRA

Korean company Pactra International Co., Ltd. was established in 1996 and provides customized integrated logistics solutions based on its logistics networks in Europe, China, America, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The company reported $164 million in revenue for 2012.